WandereR

Managing my expectations, but I'm still hoping for an epic and thrilling historical with a positive outcome before 2020 comes to a close. I have a good feeling about this one.

Ep 19 - 24.
Wow, so sweet! This week's episodes are going to be great :)

That is actually a very good point you made. The drama would've been given much more depth had CX's character been given a story arc where it became darker and explored stronger themes rather than just...what we saw transpired.
I like your thinking, gives me much food for thought on how this drama's writing failed Cheng Yi's character.

Well, there's no official MDL Choice Awards, I wish there was which was why I wrote that if MDL admins came up with that idea, then all of us would surely go and vote for this amazing show :)
But there are many users who created their own voting lists and this drama is right at the top of many of them, which is great to see!

You're most welcome and I'm glad you enjoyed the drama, which has been such a great watching experience for me as well :)

Yes, this is one of the better ones this year out of a whole bunch. To me it carries the momentum from LoY and in a way, it's actually a more mature story. It's a pity if international viewers don't get that option...

Haha, that's a very apt description actually. There's nothing more powerful than information and that is her currency :D
I'm curious to see how this goes (another unknown villain behind the entire conspiracy that had everyone fooled) and I hope it doesn't disappoint (there's no unknown villain and it's just the one guy with mummy issues).

I'm thinking Prince An, because he wants to take over the secret organisation. For a renowned organisation, I'm wondering why she has to be the one to do all the work, seemingly. I'm pretty sure she must have other helpers, but as for the high profile ones (undercover), still unsure at this point. I don't think Fu Rong's dad is in on it though.

Great job, thanks Jen!

Thanks for the confirmation. That's pretty much how I understood it as well.

There is one kiss scene in the first half. I expect more to come, hopefully.

Ah yes, thanks for reminding me :)
Yup, I love the FL and the drama. I even wrote a glowing review of the FL to show much I liked it lol
I'm glad you enjoyed it too. Sebrina Chen did a really good job there.

This is a very well thought out and brilliantly written article. Bravo!
I love how comprehensive it is and newcomers would no doubt find it extremely useful. The rest / most of us veteran watchers probably had to fumble through all the basics without this starter kit!

My very first drama was Dae Jang Geum nearly 2 decades ago. I was mesmerized by Sageuk because it was refreshingly different from C-drama and HK drama historicals that I had been so used to watching back in those days - the costume, language, palace protocols, even the martial arts choreography. I soon followed that up with Goodbye, Solo and it introduced me to Korean slice of life.

Back in the late 90s/ early 2000s, Asian content from the far east was not easily accessible but that is no longer the case today. K-drama newcomers have an abundance of choices in terms of genres to choose from and they're all mostly very easily accessible via online streaming. All I can say is, have fun exploring!

No prob. I just hope the cuts don't impact too much on the story *fingers crossed*

No worries. I wish we could all watch the uncut versions to fully enjoy the show :)
The cable service that I subscribe to is Astro but it's only available in Malaysia.

Fyi, on cable television which shows the uncut episode, the same logo on the top right hand appears as well (I know because I subscribe to cable). The export markets receive the same logo. I've been reliably informed that the Chinese iQiyi is also showing the cut version.
Anyway, don't take my word for it - go have a look and see for yourself.

I was told that both the Chinese and International iQiyi are showing the same cut versions. The uncut version is available on other platforms eg syndication on cable (that I'm aware of, so far). I don't know why this is happening but that cut footage is nearly 2 minutes' long and looks really significant to the overall plot.
You're right, we're not sure what else may be cut from the iQiyi version.... Oh well, hope it doesn't affect the storytelling in the end.

Yup, TGIF! It's not bad but you'll need a character chart for watching this - there's way more characters here than I expected!

Thank you for the compliment and also for sharing exactly what's on my mind too! I miss the good old days of authentic wuxia productions and this show really brought those memories back. You're absolutely right - truly exceptional!

SLS? He's got nothing on Merxat who's the king of SLSs.